Crimson Runner
by Ever-changing Creation
Summary: "Mako was born a coward, bathed in the blood of another, and yet still wanting to run forwards." A boy finds himself reborn in a doomed village, half-brother and protector of Kushina Uzumaki. He must find out what to do next, in order to survive. Male SI-OC.
1. Crimson Birth

I have two other Naruto SI stories. Good God, what am I even doing anymore…? I don't even know.

Anyways, I suppose this is my take on a more traditional SI-OC story…As well as stuff about Whirlpool/the Uzumaki.

* * *

Chapter 1: Crimson Birth

* * *

. 1-I .

Mako was born with blood-red hair to match the blood that he was covered in. Mako was born without making a sound. Mako was born kicking his legs furiously.

Mako was born a coward, bathed in the blood of another, and yet still wanting to run forwards.

(And that would be the start of his fate.)

. 1-II .

Mako was born, and taken in by the venerable Head Uzumaki Family. Kazuki Uzumaki had deemed this so, for Mako was the son of Sumiko Samsara, a very fine, loyal servant.

Mako was born to a lowly servant, and would become the next one in a new chain.

Mako was born to Sumiko Samsara, who died in childbirth, and who never married. Mako was born a child out of wedlock.

Mako was born because the Head of the Uzumaki, Kazuki, took his mother as a mistress. Kazuki Uzumaki wanted both a new, loyal servant, and his bastard half-son to stay within the compound, to look after the boy in his own way.

. 1-III .

Uzumakis were rather free with their love.

They loved many, with large hearts and larger smiles. They simply had a habit of having too **much** love, and letting that spill over to a few other secret partners, is all.

Uzumakis loved hard, fast, and strong. They used all their energy, fell headfirst into whirlwind romances, full of secrets and kisses and bare skin.

Their loves were like fireworks—beautiful and loud and wonderful and lively—until they fizzled out into nothingness, disappearing into the blackness of the night once more.

Uzumakis were rather free-spirited, loud, rambunctious. They were the first to defend another— but also the first to jump forwards and judge another. **Especially** if it was hypocritical, because Uzumakis were a proud people.

Kazuki staid quiet, while Sumiko Samsara was slandered for having an Uzumaki child out of wedlock, called a whore and slut, and a thousand other names.

(Mako simply staid quiet.)

. 1-IV .

Mako was born, and sometimes, he wished he was rather not born at all.

(He had already done so once, after all.)

. 1-V .

Mako was all but raised by his fellow servants.

He grows rather quickly.

By the time he's three, he already knows how to act his part, how to serve the Uzumaki Head family.

(He finds it all to be hilariously ironic.)

. 1-VI .

Mako was curious. Smart. Perceptive. He read books as quickly as some Uzumaki devoured food.

He always had his servant duties. But when he had the free time, he would sneak in a book or a few pages to look over.

Uzushio was a fascinating society, rich with a ripe history.

Uzumakis were descended from the Senju. Centuries back, one of the Senju Clan Heads had three sons. The first son was a Senju boy with bark-brown hair. The third son was a meek boy with green hair and greener eyes.

The second son was a boy with hair as red as blood, eyes as violet as the early night sky. This son was fantastic with calligraphy, full of sweeping, elegant strokes. He imbued his writings with his very own chakra. And with these writings, was the base of fuinjutsu. The specialty of Uzumakis and Uzushio as a whole.

The basis for everything.

. 1-VII .

Every inch of the island was rife with life and seal-work. From the lighthouse, to the shore, to the market, to the library, to the main bridge that crosses the river that cuts through Uzushiogakure. To the books, to the tea cups, to the stoves, to the refrigerators.

Every single thing was powered by fuinjutsu—a collection of decades worth of work from Uzumaki clan members.

…Black ink and red hair. That was the legacy of this island….

. 1-VIII .

Whirlpool was the home of the Uzumaki Clan. However, they integrated smaller clans as their second families, in order to help protect and serve the Uzumakis.

They did so even **before** Hashirama Senju created Konohagakure. It was only after this fact, that Uzushio was formally created.

The clan of Samsara was one that had been adopted by the Uzumakis. Those of sea-green hair and eyes as vivacious as iryo-ninjutsu, this clan dealt with techniques over life and longevity. Medic jutsu, seals to summon the Shinigami, ways to imbue sprits to objects and the land.

The Samsara and the Uzumaki were brother clans, just like the Uzumaki and the Senju—for in the legends, the third Senju son was the creator of the Samsara Clan. They had always been a small, nomadic clan—almost on the brink of destruction— before the Uzumakis spirited them away with them, into the Land of Whirlpools.

Another Clan—the clan of Genso—were adopted into the Uzumaki's lands as well. They are a rather odd bunch. Eyes as dark as the voids of night, hair in varying shades of white. Like ghosts. Like illusions—their namesakes. Their specialty: genjutsu.

As the Genso began to mix with the Samsara and the Uzumaki, they have produced varying hair colors, other than white. Mint greens and pinks and even sky blues.

Uzushio is not simply the Uzumaki. No, they are an interconnected web of various people. Just like how Konohagakure is not simply made of Senju and Uchiha, but has other minor clans within its walls.

It is simply that the Land of Whirlpool is a small one. Uzushiogakure is only the size of the main island. Really, only three clans could fit in such a space. And only three clans are needed, in order to keep the village going, in order to protect it.

(At least, that is the theory.

It is not a very sound theory. Uzushio will still be destroyed.)

. 1-IX .

Uzushiogakure is a beautiful place.

It was a bit like a beach resort. Like Hawaii and picturesque beaches and Sootopolis City from the Pokémon games.

Clear-white sands, a long stretch of shore. White buildings of clay and marble, tall and pristine. Verandas attached to bustling shops, built half of glass. Tall palm trees lining roads, clustered near the edge of the lands, providing shade for beach-goers.

The coasts and markets where lively. People laughed and danced and cheered. Children ran two and fro, playing and pranking and living.

It was never dull or quiet. It was always lively. Loud. People knew each other, trusted one other, explicitly.

It was like its own little paradise. A utopia.

. 1-X .

(He found Uzushiogakure the most chillingly beautiful—the utter pinnacle of a true visage—when the sun set upon the village.

It turned everything a glowing shade of red.)

. 1-XI .

When Kushina wanted to play, Mako played with her.

He was the closest person her age, that worked around her home. Despite him being there to serve her, she always dragged him off to be her play-date.

She was particularly fond of running around the markets. Despite the fact that most servants tried to keep her inside the Head family compound, she always managed to find a way to slip out to the lively streets.

"I wanna see the world!" she'd exclaim.

And, really, it was a lost cause to keep someone like Kushina Uzumaki cooped up for her protection.

(She went down fighting, out in the open, after all.)

. 1-XII .

The waters surrounding Uzushio were a shining, clear blue. Breathtaking. Stretching out for miles.

They were also dangerous. Tumultuous. Churning and swirling, forming powerful whirlpools that could suck in any ship or person that neared.

(At least, they **would** … before the War comes up to their doorstep, and three Great Villages manage to get through those dangerous tides, into the village.)

All Uzushio natives learned how to traverse the beach, the waters, the lighthouse. How to find the best seashells, the best palm trees, the best places to practice sealing.

One of the first lessons an Uzushio child learns, is how to survive in the water. How to survive the whirlpools that surround their home. How to escape from them. How to **live** with them.

(Mako takes these lessons to heart. Because despite how little he will actually be able to live in this place, he does not want to die prematurely, by being caught in the unforgiving seas.

He was never a fan of the ocean. Not even in his first life.)

. 1-XIII .

Uzushiogakure was its own little world. It was a large main island, with a few smaller, all clustered together. Rolling hills and high cliffs created a boundary, of sorts, to the village's back. Like an extra defense, after one manages to survive going through the insanely dangerous whirlpools.

It was so completely distant from the other lands, the other nations and ninja villages, that very few truly knew about the Uzushio. Few knew how they lived, knew how their village looked like.

(It's also one of the reasons why the other nations became to fear this place. Equal parts envy and wariness.)

To the rest of the Elemental Nations, Whirlpool was an unknown.

Even with it's small size, they were self-sufficient. They were at peace, could work together, held a piece of paradise within their islands.

(They were also **strong**. They were shrouded in death and mystery, and could call upon the Shinigami itself with just a bit of paper and ink.

Is it no wonder that there is a war fought, to wipe Whirlpool off the map?)

. 1-XIV .

Mako knows that he is genetically more Uzumaki than Samsara. His hair is bright blood-red, like those with strong Uzumaki genes. Brilliant red, like a full-blood Uzumaki.

Red, like Mako's half-sister. Red, like Mako's biological father.

Mako knows that he is a bastard child. He also knows that he is specifically a bastard son of Kazuki Uzumaki, Head of the Uzumaki Clan, and Uzukage.

Nothing else would make **sense**. Why the man is just so… **fond** of Mako. Why, despite Mako being a servant, he is given privileges the other servants do not get. Why he is given full access to the Uzumaki library. Why he is sent to the shinobi academy of Uzushiogakure, without having to pay a dime.

Mako knows that Uzushio look after their own. That Uzumaki are as loving, as they can be scathing. Uzumakis care about blood.

Mako knows that despite these things, he can never say Kazuki is his father, or Kushina is his sister.

. 1-XV .

He's the first contact Kushina has to a child around her age. He is her first play-date.

Mako is her first friend. At least, that's what she tells him.

(Maybe she's his first, as well…?)

. 1-XVI .

"I wanna be a ninja! I wanna be strong! I wanna see the world!" The girl spread her arms to the clear-blue sky.

"But don't you like it here, at home?" He gestures out to the space—the people, the markets, and sea.

He knows he can't convince her to stay. Kushina loves adventure. She is a person that can't be contained, like a blazing flame.

(And staying here would be a death wish, anyways. He's just making a token effort.)

"Everythin's the same, dattebane! Nothin's new or different 'bout this place! When I'm a ninja, I can go out and see **everything**!"

"Being a ninja is dangerous…Are you sure you can handle it, Kushina-hime?"

An indignant splutter. "Of course I can! Are you doubtin' me, dattebane?! 'Cuz I'll show you…!"

He waves his hands frantically, trying to placate her and her temper. "Of course not! You are very capable, Kushina-hime. I'm just worried. Ninjas have to go through a lot of trials."

A huff. She crosses her arms. "I still wanna be one, dattebane! Uzushio's great, but it's too **small**! And everyone only knows me as the Uzukage's daughter, the princess of the Uzumaki…Not as who I **really** am."

Silence. Kushina droops gloomily.

"Don't you worry, Kushina-hime. You'll be a **great** ninja."

"R-Really…? Ya think so?" Her gaze brightens, voice full of hope.

He smiles at her, soft and fond. "I **know** so. Don't give up. You'll get to see other places and be a splendid kunoichi."

The girl ducks her head, face flushed. She wears a shy smile on her face. "Th-Thanks, Mako-nii."

. 1-XVII .

Mako knows that he will forever be Kushina's servant. Her protector.

He was the older of the two, conceived a bit before the Clan Head was tied down in marriage. He knows this, because he's done the math, and he's pretty damn good at math.

(He's a year older than Kushina. And isn't **that** a twist?)

Mako knows that he was all but raised with Kushina-hime. They lived in rooms in the same corridor. They had lessons together. Every single event, Mako was there, by the little girl's elbow, hovering.

Even when Mako breezes through the lessons into much more advanced things, he is still kept with the same teacher, in the same room as Kushina's lessons.

(Though, it is definitely not any fault of her own. Little Kushina has to work with the same intelligence as any child.

She did not have his advantage of knowledge through reincarnation.)

. 1-XVIII .

"Mako-nii!" the little girl chimed, tugging at the sleeve of his simple servant's yukata.

"Yes? What do you need, Kushina-hime?"

The nearly five-year-old girl pouted up at him. "I keep tellin' ya, to just call me Kushina, dattebane!"

The boy gently detaches her hand from his sleeve, looking at her apologetically. "It's something I have to do. Forgive me, Kushina-hime."

The girl puffed her chubby cheeks, peeved. But then she heaved a great sigh. "Okay, okay…But, um, can ya help me with my Kanji, dattebane? Pleaaaaase?"

The slightly older boy gave a chuckle, at the sight of the princess of Uzushiogakure giving him puppy-dog eyes, hands clasped in front of her. She looked like an angel, completely at odds with her real nature of a mischievous troublemaker.

"Of course."

. 1-XIX .

Mako knows that despite his coloring, he is utterly his mother's son. He is a Samsara, through and through.

He is not about dancing or yelling or passion or mischievousness or raw power. He is more about knowledge, experimentation, plans, life, **living**.

(Mako knows, deep within himself, that the only reason he was reborn at **all** was because the Samsara have always had a close relationship with life and death.

It's why he's gotten such a high self-preservation.)

 _(It's why he's a coward_.)

Mako knows he is a Samsara through and through, because he has high intelligence and high self-preservation. He finds fascination in high-level techniques and Yin chakra and the Shinigami.

(He'd rather avoid meeting the Shinigami again.)

Mako takes in all techniques and writing and seals, because ( _he is a coward and_ ) needs everything he can, in order to survive the world beyond the village. It's not a pretty life, out there. It isn't **safe**.

(Mako knows he's a coward. He's always known.

He also knows that Uzushio will fall.)

. 1-XX .

Mako knows he's a genius. With a predisposition of high intellect from the Samsara blood rushing through his veins, from his mother.

…Well, once people got past his blood-red hair, it makes sense.

(Mako knows that he's only a 'genius', because he already has more than twenty years of knowledge of a past life crammed into his brain. This knowledge and higher comprehension skills helped him speed along childhood, and made him seem like a **true** prodigy.)

Mako knows that he is first in his class. Mako knows that he will not have trouble going onto the next class. And the next.

Kazuki Uzumaki gives him permission to advance through the shinobi academy, because the man seems to know that Mako is a genius.

(Mako knows that the man regrets not having him as his 'proper' son, after this is revealed.)

. 1-XXI .

"Why are you in such high classes, Mako-nii?" Kushina asks him one day.

The servant boy pauses. He's not sure what to tell her.

(Except, he's fairly sure he will never speak of being a reincarnation.)

"Because the classes are too easy for me, Kushina-hime," he says honestly, voice careful. Hoping to not get a negative reaction from her.

Because if there's **one** thing he knows about Kushina Uzumaki, is that her reactions are always grand. And her temper is one to be wary of.

"Do you get to be a ninja faster, dattebane?" the girl asks, head tilted to the side, blood-red hair spilling down her shoulders.

"Yes. I can be a ninja, so that I can protect you, and the rest of the village," he responds.

(It's half lies, though.

He isn't going to try and go through the trouble of protecting a doomed village. Not when an entire village is too much to protect, with the looming war.)

"Oh. Okay," the little red-haired princess says. Thankfully, no negative emotions in sight. "You're gonna make a great ninja, aren't ya, Mako-nii?"

"I'll try," the boy states.

(After all, that's all he can really do. Try.

And probably fail.)

. 1-XXII .

The realization comes soon after.

He **was** , in fact, being made a ninja early to protect Kushina. It's the only thing that makes logical sense.

He still went wherever Kushina went, following her. Still staid with her during her lessons. Still played with her. Still tried to keep her out of trouble.

' _Kazuki Uzumaki, you're quite the sneaky bastard_ ,' he admits to himself.

. 1-XXIII .

Mako knows, when he graduates at seven years old, that he will be known as Uzushio's prodigy. He is their youngest graduate.

(Mako also knows that Kakashi Hatake will break his record in about a decade, in being the youngest person to become a ninja in the Hidden Villages.)

. 1-XXIV .

Mako knows he graduated early because he was a prodigy. He also knows it was a dual purpose, so that he could protect Kushina as a ninja.

But he wonders if they also let him, because of the looming threat of the Second Shinobi World War.

(Probably. There was never a concrete timeline, but it lines up startlingly well.)

. 1-XXV .

Mako knows that he is now a ninja, when given a shiny hitai-ate, a whirlpool swirl engraved into the metal plate. Mako knows and **understands** that he is now technically an adult, with this headband—someone ready to be a killer.

However, he became a killer a long time ago. When he was born, he killed Sumiko Samsara, his mother.

(At least, the mother of this second life of his.)

( _Mako was born with blood-red hair to match the blood that he was covered in_.)

Mako knows that being a ninja is an honor. He bears the congratulations with polite bows and silence.

( _Mako was born without making a sound_.)

Mako knows what Genin ninja do. Run low-ranked missions around the village. Errands. Messenger duty.

Mako knows and accepts this, unlike the other newly minted Genin. He doesn't complain, and he does everything quickly and efficiently.

(Having future knowledge helps. So does having patience of someone at least three times his physical age.)

He's fast. The fastest. The quickest messenger runner Uzushio probably has.

( _Mako was born kicking his legs furiously_.)

. 1-XXVI .

The Elemental Nations are at war. Konohagakure has declared war against Sunagakure and Amegakure.

Subsequently, Suna has declared war on Konoha. Ame has declared war on Konoha. And then **Iwa** has declared war on Konoha, as well.

(It's like a game of Risk.

Or perhaps, this is how people felt, when World War I and World War II started?)

. 1-XXVII .

Nothing much changes in Uzushio. Nothing concrete or visible, at least.

People are a bit more nervous. Ninjas do more patrols. They buzz and whisper to one another.

There's an accelerated program at the shinobi academy. There's whispers of more children being advanced and graduating early, like him.

There is no outwards indication of something being wrong, though. Whirlpool is still untouched by the other Elemental Nations. Nothing's really managed to phase it.

(At least, not yet.)

. 1-XXVIII .

If he didn't live in a village like Whirlpool, then he'd have been doing D-Ranks like digging trenches and graves, or checking stockpiles.

So far, he's only had to do things like sharpening weapons, helping the blacksmiths, helping replenish explosive tags and storage seals, running messages across the village, and the like.

(These are the breadcrumbs, however, that hint at what the war is doing to the Elemental Nations.)

. 1-XXIX .

"So…How's bein' a ninja, dattebane?" Kushina asks him excitedly, pretending that she's studying, book propped up to hide her face.

It's a rather childish maneuver, and not very inconspicuous. It makes Mako smile.

(There aren't many things to smile about, as of recently.)

"Eh," he makes a 'so-so' gesture. "It's mostly training, and doing easy missions. Things won't start picking up, until the Chunin Exams, I think."

Honestly, having Kushina watch-duty has probably been the most exciting thing in his Genin career, so far. The girl can pull some genuinely baffling pranks.

The girl pouts at him, disappointed. "That sounds **boring** , dattebane!"

(At least he knew what he was getting himself into.

It's only fair he warns his naïve half-sister.)

He shrugs. "I'm sorry, Kushina-hime, but that's how things are. I've only just graduated, and Genin is the lowest rank. These things take time."

The six-year-old sighs gustily, causing her bangs to flutter. "I **guess**."

"If something interesting happens, though…I'll tell you," he says.

"Promise?" she asks, visibly perking up, a glimmer in her eye.

"Promise."

. 1-XXX .

(He hopes he won't have to keep that promise, even though it seems like an easy one to keep.

Why?

Because 'interesting' things in a ninja's life usually deal with death.)


	2. Crimson Team

After countless months, I finally have the next chapter of this finished. And now, it will take another six months to update this once more, probably.

Obligatory Genin Team chapter! Mako's Genin team days will probably only get one or two other chapters, after this. I don't want things slowing down **too** much.

* * *

Chapter 2: Crimson Team

* * *

. 2-I .

Uzushiogakure is considered a 'brother' village to Konohagakure.

It makes perfect sense. The Senju, Uzumaki, and Samsara are cousin clans. Mito Uzumaki married the first Hokage and Senju Clan Head, Hashirama Senju. Mito Uzumaki was a seals mistress who became the first Jinchuriki, the host of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, for the Leaf.

Because of this close union, many of Konoha's policies are Uzushio's.

. 2-II .

When the Leaf voted for which Clan Head to become their leader, so did Whirlpool.

When the Leaf created 'ranks' to designate the positions of their ninja, so did Whirlpool.

When the Leaf gave 'grades' to jutsu, so did Whirlpool.

When the Leaf created a format for missions through different grades, each grade going through a specific price range, so did Whirlpool.

When the Leaf built an academy to teach their ninja, so did Whirlpool.

When the Leaf organized three fresh-faced Genins to be led by an elite Jonin on a squad, so did Whirlpool.

When the Leaf created an elite force that would do the dark jobs of the village, dubbed ANBU, so did Whirlpool.

. 2-III .

Some would say that it was simply a case of 'follow-the-leader'.

Konohagakure was built, and soon after, many other ninja villages were built as well. Clans across the lands scrambled around and joined forces with one another, in order to survive the new world order.

However, while other ninja villages were built with tentative treaties and untrusting eyes, Uzushiogakure was born from familiarity and close ties that already existed. Instead of banding together for survival, they were already living cohesively in their small island.

So, when Konohagakure was built, Uzushiogakure was built soon after.

And when the Leaf adapted and had new policies, Whirlpool was quick to adopt them.

The other villages were tentative. Some did not want to adopt these policies. However, they still did so, because it worked for Konohagakure and it's ally, Uzushiogakure. It worked, and the other villages were not creative enough to think of their own ideas.

. 2-IV .

Leaf and Whirlpool typically had four-man squads. To teach Genin with high potential, they assigned three of them to one Jonin.

The other nations chose to structure their squads differently. Whether it was because of resources, manpower, or different levels of cooperation, it really depended on the village in question.

Mist, for example, had an "every man for themselves" mentality. They prided ruthlessness, which bred strong ninja, but also paranoia. Kiri-nin simply didn't trust one another, always watching their backs for backstabbing—both in the metaphorical and literal sense.

Thus, apprenticeships of Jonin or Chunin taking in one Genin student was a popular choice for Kirigakure. Squads to complete missions were almost always in pairs or trios—low enough so that the ninja couldn't gang up on one person, but large enough that it could get the job done. It was recommended that clan members make up squads, since they knew each other best from close familiarity, and could work cohesively enough together.

Rock would put together two Chunin with multiple Genin. Jonin were only reserved for powerful Genin, those that held large physical, mental, or political power to back them. It wouldn't do to waste resources, after all. With this system, they could churn out multiple ninja to fill the ranks when needed.

Quantity over quality. Eight enemies can outnumber and outgun just four, after all. For Iwagakure, it was a system and mindset that worked.

Sand held more of a policy of being self-sufficient, a survival-of-the-fittest way of thinking. Each individual ninja had to find their talents and teachers, if they weren't already slotted into one of their specialty divisions. When pressed, Sunagakure shinobi could come together to work in the 'typical' formation of squads, yet still held enough jurisdiction and individuality to be able to do their own thing within these teams.

Cloud seemed to have the least typical structures of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, when it came to squads and training their youth. They were unpredictable to all but their own. Sometimes, they had loners training themselves and picking up missions. Sometimes, they had the four-man squad. Some held apprenticeships, while others grouped up with multiple people to one leader-slash-teacher.

Kumogakure was fast becoming a threat, and cementing itself as the strongest overall village when it came to military power. They were highly adaptable, while others seemed to stick to their traditions and ways. That in itself was dangerous.

. 2-V .

It was fascinating to learn about how the other major villages operated, but also wholly necessary. Now thy enemy, and all that.

(It will also give him a basis to work on, to figure out just how screwed he is if he comes across any foreign shinobi out in the field.

There'd probably be a time where his squad can't help him, and he'll be alone to face the enemy.

He needs to know just how fast he'd have to run, to get out alive from such a situation.)

. 2-VI .

Mako's Genin squad isn't that interesting, but just interesting enough, he supposes.

There's Tatsu, who holds sun-kissed skin and plain features, hair and eyes an average brown. The boy is eleven, and has a major inferiority complex. He always tries to pick fights with Mako to prove his dominance, is loud, and an attention hog. The boy has the attention span of a teaspoon, and is more of a brawler geared towards taijutsu.

The only kunoichi of their squad has pale, cornflower blue hair—a Genso—and could be considered pretty for a ten-year-old. Asada follows her namesake by being phenomenal in genjutsu, supplementing her support role with long-ranged weaponry. She has a sharp tongue and dry humor, when she's not being eerily quiet.

Naturally, the three were put together because Asada and Mako held the highest scores, and Tatsu was the dead last of their class.

(When he got home after being assigned his team, that first day…Mako had laughed hysterically into a pillow at the irony, in the privacy of his bedroom.)

Matsuoka-sensei rounded out their little dysfunctional group. He had the vivacious personality and red hair, like an atypical Uzumaki, except he'd admitted to being absolute pants at anything above basic fuinjutsu. He made up for it with his amazing ninjutsu capabilities, and his Manta Ray Summons.

His team is just interesting enough that Mako doesn't get bored to death being with them, doing missions.

(But overall, he just can't quite get invested with them.)

. 2-VII .

They all have wildly different specializations, but their squad is supposed to balance each other out, cover each other's weaknesses.

They all have such wildly different personalities, however, that any team-building exercises turn into disasters.

And, honestly, what the hell else did anyone expect with this type of arrangement…?

That throwing these four wildly different people together would somehow, miraculously, create a cohesive squad? That everyone could put aside their differences, can change their personalities, so that they can fit together and **work**?

It's moronic, and a pipe dream, at best.

. 2-VIII .

(They're as dysfunctional as Team Seven.

Except without the obvious and forced love triangle, thankfully enough. Even the Gods must have had enough mercy to not introduce such a cliché into their ticking time bomb of a team.

But if one were to slot his team into the places of Team Seven, it became startlingly obvious who was who.

Mako was Sasuke. And oh God, did that make him want to hurl. He never liked Sasuke.

But Mako was part of an important clan, the orphan, the genius. He could outsmart his teammates, run literal circles around them, and already had two elemental jutsu down pat.

Tatsu was Naruto. The dead-last loser, the brash one who leapt into action. The one with big dreams and an even bigger mouth. The one who craved attention and acknowledgement above anything else.

Asada was the lone Kunoichi and the support. She was book-smart, quiet until something made her temper flare. Despite her scathing and dry remarks, she was still the most sheltered of the lot, having a perfect support structure through her family.

Matsuoka-sensei was Kakashi. The sensei, with banter and all smiles, who called his genin adorable just to see them puff up in offense. The one who hid his tragic past by being the role model. The man with a Summoning contract, who could belt out ninjutsu like no one's business.)

. 2-IX .

It feels like some sort of formula. His genin team. Like a cosmic joke

Everything about them together feels so **fake**. So…contrived.

(Is it any wonder that he can't really get attached to his team…? It's like they're all stereotypes, just roles in a play.)

( _It's actually a bit scary, to consider them minor characters in his life—but he quiets those thoughts and shoves them deep, deep down_.)

. 2-X .

They're known as Team Matsuoka, because everything important about a Genin team is anchored to their Jonin sensei.

Sure, they could all go by cold, clean numbers. Just another statistic, another squad. But that would make things much too complicated if a team breaks up for some reason, and a new one takes the team number in its place. It would mess with the records, have too many criss-crossings and ' _no, not_ _ **that**_ _Team Two, I mean the Team Two under Suzuka Samsara_ '.

Uzushiogakure is a shinobi village, but it's still a small one. There's no need for giving teams a base number, when most shinobi have unique enough first names to work with.

There's no need to disassociate shinobi as being real people by slapping a stark squad number or pseudonym on them, when the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools is small enough that everyone seems to know each other. One could say 'Team Ureha', for example, and a number of Whirlpool-nin would instantly know the team in question, or at least the squad commander of said team.

Personally, Mako wouldn't mind just having squads be represented by numbers. He's rather bad at remembering names, anyways.

(He's only bad at remember names, because most of those names don't **mean** anything to him, aren't names he can remember from his past life.)

( _It's also preferable to know others through a number, because usually, thinking of a number doesn't instantly associate itself to a_ _ **person**_ _in your mind._ )

. 2-XI .

It's the end of July, five months since Team Matsuoka formed.

The sea breeze is chillier, as a cold front comes down from the North, but it doesn't bother much of Whirlpool's inhabitants. The populace brush it off as simply a blip, an anomaly on their usually nice climate.

The atmosphere between Mako and Tatsu is as chilly as the air, when the older boy reveals that it was his birthday the day before, but Mako _hadn't even said a word to him_.

"Ah, forgive me, Tatsu-san," Mako says, rubbing the back of his head bashfully, stalling for time. Inside, he's scrambling, wondering what he's supposed to do.

(It takes him aback much more than he'd like, over the fact that other people outside the Uzukage estate actually had birthdays, despite it being logical that _of_ _ **course**_ _they'd have birthdays_.)

"I'm not very good with keeping up with the days. Happy belated birthday," he simply says, handing the boy some wrapped candy he had shoved in one of his pant's pockets at some point in the past. Probably as a form of bribery when he trailed after Kushina, no doubt.

Tatsu drops the candy in disgust, and stalks away.

Mako sighs, frowning and clucking his tongue, bending down to pick up the rejected sweets.

He'd already apologized for missing Tatsu's birthday, and tried to reconcile with him. There was no reason for the boy to be so scathing.

. 2-XII .

It wasn't until, in the evening—when Mako was sitting with Kushina on their separate calligraphy lessons— that he considered something.

Maybe the reason Tatsu rejected the candy was because he didn't like sweets…?

No, that probably wasn't it. Tatsu has always seemed to hate his guts because of his status as prodigy. And having forgotten his birthday was most likely seen as some sort of snobbish faux-pas.

(Mako didn't want to consider Tatsu not liking sweets, because that would mean the boy would have _preferences over food_ , and that would just make him seem much too **real**.)

. 2-XIII .

When Asada's birthday came just two weeks later, Mako was sure to remember to tell her happy birthday.

As he pulled out a wad of self-made explosive tags to give her as a last minute present, he could feel Tatsu's glare on his back.

" **Seriously**? Explosive tags from your pouch? That's a lazy-ass present," the older boy says venomously.

"Tatsu-kun! That's very rude," Matsuoka-sensei chides. "It's the thought that counts."

Mako merely gives a shrug, morphing his face to look properly ashamed and sheepish, when he really doesn't care. After all, Asada likes weapons, and adding things to her weapons. She wasn't saying anything negative about the half-assed gift. So, it shouldn't really matter, should it…?

(Gifting weapons to your teammates on their birthday should be enough.

It's the way things are done, in the world of shinobi.)

( _And it's not like they'll survive the war, anyways_.)

. 2-XIV .

Just like it's natural to teach Uzushio's children in how to safely tread the waters that surround their home, it's natural to use water in chakra control exercises for shinobi and shinobi-hopefuls in Whirlpool.

The first greatest leap a Genin can accomplish in chakra control is being able to stone-climb. To be able to use chakra to walk up the craggy cliffs or the smooth, white, stone walls that makes up much of Whirlpool's architecture.

The second chakra control skill that must be perfected is, naturally, water walking.

. 2-XV .

Matsuoka-sensei takes the team to one of the smaller rivers that snakes its way through Uzushiogakure. With a wide, toothy grin, he tells them that this is where they'll practice water walking.

Mako's been practicing chakra control for quite a while. In his free time, he practiced climbing the walls of his small room, right above his bed, until he finally got the skill down. (And after multiple times falling square on his back onto his thin mattress, grumbling about how he misses the plush bed of his past life.)

Mako personally doesn't consider this task to be more dangerous than his prior attempts at defying the laws of physics. Perhaps the task is a bit more complicated, but in a way, it's less perilous for him.

After all, if he fails, he simply gets a bit wet, dropping into the crystal-clear river water. He's not falling from a minimum height of four feet, at the risk of breaking something, like with walking on walls.

. 2-XVI .

Mako's control is good enough to cut down on the chakra cost of jutsu, and also good enough that it doesn't take him long to master water walking.

Of course, Asada is much better than him. Which is a side effect of having genjutsu as a main specialty, and being from a clan that specializes in the art, he supposes.

Tatsu had needed to be caught up on how to walk up walls with chakra last week. He's also the one that gets drenched the most thoroughly when they practice water walking, constantly falling into the river and kicking up a fuss after every failure.

Of course, the boy was anything but mature, and tried to drag his teammates down with him. Literally. By pulling their ankles.

When that didn't work, Tatsu went about splashing his teammates with the cold river water. In retaliation, Mako used a low-level _suiton_ jutsu on the boy's face, making him splutter and flail.

Somehow, this devolved into one huge water fight between the entire team.

. 2-XVII .

Naturally, Matsuoka-sensei won the water fight. And thoroughly kicked the Genin's asses.

The man was an absolute menace with suiton jutsu.

(The Water Dragon jutsu was also overkill, but it certainly **looked** cool, and the Uzumaki hadn't been aiming it at them. The crash of it against the nearby rocks and the backlash it created kicked up enough water to drench all three children at once.

Mako personally thought that the man just wanted to show off.)

After being thoroughly waterlogged, the Genin teammates made an unspoken truce to not fight one another on the water, wringing out the water from their clothing.

(Oddly enough, all of them are wearing articles of sandy brown and sea-blue clothing that's the penchant of Uzushio.)

( _It's a similarity that almost makes it look like they're some sort of actual, cohesive team._ )

. 2-XVIII .

Three more days of training on the edge of the low tides, Tatsu finally managed to walk on water without sinking after ten seconds.

Mako wonders if Tatsu could have learned the skill quicker, if he had actually put in the effort to help the other boy.

But… no. On second thought, his intervention would have made things worse. Tatsu hated listening to Mako being right.

( _…Why did the explanation sound like an excuse?_ )

. 2-XIX .

Tatsu kicks Mako's ass at least half the time during sparring.

The boy is four-and-a-half years older than Mako, is taller and heavier, has more muscle, and is much more geared towards hand-to-hand combat. The match-up would be wholly unfair towards the red-haired Samsara, if not for the fact that he's quick on his feet.

You can't take any damage, after all, if your opponent can't hit you.

Running circles around the older boy, who keeps trying (and failing) to keep up with him, Mako herds the brunette towards the kunai that are already scattered out across the training ground.

Mako takes out a prepped kunai from his hip pouch, twirls it, and throws it to Tatsu's left. As expected, a four-sided barrier springs up from the completed formation, the seals wrapped snugly around the handles of the weapons.

It'd been surprisingly easy to use misdirection and push the older boy towards the scattered kunai that made up the four-sided barrier. After initially throwing the weapons, the other boy just completely forgot about them, thinking it was a simple attack and not a massive set-up.

Tatsu gives an enraged shout, banging against the barrier with a fist. The barrier only shudders slightly; the punches aren't strong enough to break it down.

Sensei lets out a low whistle, and Asada politely claps. "Nice fuinjutsu work, Mako-kun," the man says, wholly impressed, ruffling Mako's (previously well-combed) hair.

"Thank you, sensei," Mako replies, feeling an odd amount of pride welling in his chest. He's never actually used a barrier technique in a spar, before today, and it went off without a hitch.

(The praise, he could also admit, was nice as well.)

Asada crouches down in front of one of the kunai holding up the barrier, eyeing it critically. "How can you break it?"

"The kunai acts as an anchor. All you have to do is pull it out from the ground, or destroy the tag," the younger boy explains. The kunoichi idly yanks the weapon from the ground, and tosses it over at Mako, who lets out a yelp and barely manages to catch it before it skewers him.

The barrier dissipates— and then Tatsu is rushing towards the Samsara like a bull. Matsuoka-sensei snags the brawler by the collar of his shirt, halting the boy from decking Mako in the face.

"Now, now. Mako-kun won fair and square, Tatsu-kun," the man chides. "Now, make the Seal of Reconciliation. Go on."

Tatsu sneers, but grudgingly holds out his hand, and Mako completes the seal. Sensei lets the tetchy boy's shirt go, and Tatsu huffs, stomping away.

"Well, I suppose that means that training is over," the messy-haired man chuckles. "Same time and place, tomorrow."

. 2-XX .

The shinobi forces are getting a bit restless.

The civilians don't really notice. After all, ninja can be paranoid.

(It must be nice, to be so naïve.)

. 2-XXI .

"Mako-nii, when can I finally meet your team…?"

Well, that was a sudden request.

"Some other time, Kushina-chan," Mako says, patting her idly on the head as he counted the amount of kunai he still had left. Any sparring between his teammates always took up a lot of kunai, and some broke or got lost in the mix.

Really, he suspected one of his teammates kept nicking his used kunai. Tatsu could do it out of spite, because he doesn't want to buy more, or simply because he can't count correctly. Asada could do it because, well…they're weapons. Extra kunai to play with sounds like her definition of a good time.

"Nii-saaaaaan," Kushina whined, tugging on his hand to get his attention. Mako turned his gaze and full attention towards the girl, noting her spectacular pout. "It's been **forever** since you became a Genin."

It's only been seven months.

Seven long and grueling months, but still. It's not a long amount of time, in the big picture.

But towards a child, like Kushina, seven months must seem like an eternity.

"If you get permission and have the free time, maybe," Mako replies vaguely.

"So you mean 'never'," the girl replies sullenly, huffing an irritated puff of breath and making the strands of her bangs flutter.

"I'm sure that's not true, Kushina-hime…"

"Tou-san never likes giving me free time, and he wouldn't want me 'bothering' a ninja team. So the answer's gonna be a no, dattebane!"

Mako chuckled nervously, noting that Kushina's thoughts were rather…accurate.

"Never say never, Kushina-hime," he tried to say comfortingly. All the younger child did as response was puff out her cheeks. He playfully poked one. "I'll see what my sensei says, okay…?"

. 2-XXII .

During a quick break from training the next day, Mako tentatively approached his teacher.

"Oh? What is it, Mako-kun? Do you need something?" the messy-haired man asked kindly, a bit pleasantly surprised, while he uncapped his canteen to take a drink.

"Ah, sensei…Kushina-hime wanted to know if she could meet the team," Mako murmured, uncomfortable, rubbing at the arm that his hitai-ate is tied to.

Matsuoka-sensei missed his mouth by a wide margin. Water sloshed down from his cheek, down to his shirt.

" **What**?" the man asked, voice a strangled squeak.

"It's fine, if we're unavailable," Mako went on quickly. "I'd told Kushina-hime how unlikely it was—"

"Wait, wait, wait," the Jonin said, flustered, waving his empty hand around frantically. " **Kushina-hime**? As in, the princess of the Uzumaki?!"

"Er…Yes?"

Mako watched in bemusement as his teacher seemed to have some sort of aneurism.

"O-Of course she can meet our team!" Matsuoka-sensei finally spluttered out, straightening up to his full height. "It would be an honor!"

"Ah…Alright," the red-haired boy said warily, watching as his teacher looked rather ecstatic at the thought of Kushina meeting them. He scratched next to his nose, over his beauty mark: a nervous tick of his. "I'll see when she is available, then…"

Matsuoka-sensei beamed down at him, reaching down to ruffle Mako's well-kept hair. "We'll show our Princess how well a team we are, for certain."

. 2-XXIII .

(Mako had a premonition that Kushina-hime meeting his team would be a disaster.

He was ultimately right.)

. 2-XXIV .

It was about a week after Mako talked to his sensei about Kushina meeting them during training, when Kushina miraculously managed to free up some time to do so.

Matsuoka-sensei flip-flopped between lavishly praising the Uzukage's daughter, and trying to make the meeting completely and utterly perfect by keeping everyone in control. As Kushina was royalty, he put her on a very high pedestal.

Tatsu, naturally, was jealous of the Academy student for all the attention she was getting, and kept butting heads spectacularly with Kushina. Matsuoka-sensei had to constantly pull Tatsu away from the redhead girl, so that actual physical fights didn't break out.

Asada became even more icy and silent than usual, all but a mime, only answering questions by shaking or nodding her head. Or simply ignoring them altogether.

Their dysfunctional team was even more dysfunctional than normal, and everything pretty much fell apart at the seams, despite Matsuoka-sensei's harried efforts.

A sparring match between Tatsu and Mako somehow ended up in a free-for-all, when Tatsu over-balanced from Mako's sharp dodge, flying forwards and accidentally decking Kushina in the face. In retaliation, Kushina kicked Tatsu in the shins. A sloppily aimed kunai thrown by Mako almost ended up hitting Asada, who snarled, breaking from her stoic demeanor and throwing violent genjutsu at all of them.

Matsuoka-sensei ended up bodily pulling everyone apart, using a water jutsu to keep his struggling students in place, while he switched between lecturing them and worrying over Kushina's injuries.

Suffice to say, Matsuoka-sensei was near some sort of harried emotional breakdown over the awful meeting between the Uzushio princess and his team. The poor man was probably seeing his life flash before his eyes, resigned to being demoted or be forcefully retired from the shinobi life.

"What the hell?! How come **she's** not getting punished?!" Tatsu interjected, jerking his head over to Kushina. "She kicked me in the shins! And—And **bit** me!"

"Tatsu-kun…" their sensei began in a warning tone.

"I was much as part of the fight as the rest of them, dattebane!" Kushina huffed, stomping her foot and puffing out her red cheeks. She resembled a tomato. A small, cute, furious tomato. "If you punish them, then I deserve it too!"

The man bit his lip, looking over the four of them, going through a rather blatant inner struggle of what he should do.

Mako broke the awkward silence. "Kushina-hime, did you have to do laps today at school…?" he asked the young girl, an idea occurring to him.

The redheaded girl frowned, confused. "No. Why?"

The Samsara turned his attention to his sensei, catching the man's eye and raising an eyebrow. He was trying to give the man an easy out. Hopefully, he took it…

Mako saw the dawning realization come to the man, his gaze widening with comprehension. The Jonin cleared his throat, his gaze going between the four children before him.

(And, really, they were all still children.

No matter if three of them were officially soldiers for their village, they were all just _children_.)

"Three laps around the training ground, then, as punishment," Matsuoka-sensei nodded. "That includes you as well, Honorable Daughter."

Instead of scowling at the punishment, Kushina beamed. "Yes, sir!" she said, grinning toothily, before turning on her heel and running off to complete her laps.

Matsuoka-sensei released the three Genin from his water jutsu, and trio exchanged frowns, before starting on their laps.

"Laps… **Really** , Samsara?" Tatsu huffed, jogging on Mako's left. "I thought we were finally done with having to do that type of stuff."

"It could be worse," Asada drawled, on Mako's right, her blue gaze half-lidded. "It's only three."

"Mako-niiiiii!"

He turned his attention down the path, noting that Kushina had already cleared quite a bit of distance. She had paused, and was shouting towards him, waving.

"Come on, Mako-nii! You're faster than that!" the six-year-old called out, grinning widely.

"Well, duty calls," Mako huffed in amusement, scratching at the space next to his nose. "See you two at the finish line."

The Samsara dashed forwards, quickly eating up the distance between himself and his half-sister. Behind him, he heard Tatsu shout something derogatory and challenging, but he paid the boisterous boy's words no mind.

In a short time, Mako was in front of Kushina, grinning down at her. "Let's go finish our laps, Kushina-hime."

"On it, dattebane!" she chirped in reply, darting off, while Mako kept pace with her.

. 2-XXV .

Kushina and Mako finished their laps. A hand firmly on her shoulder, Mako told his sensei that, yes, he was going to go get Kushina's injuries checked out. No, sensei, things were fine.

Kushina bowed towards the man and apologized for the trouble she caused, then waved enthusiastically goodbye at the still-running Asada and Tatsu, while Mako dragged her away from the training ground.

"I like them! Training doesn't seem boring on your team, dattebane," the girl grinned.

"Oh, no, it usually is," Mako rebuked, idly smoothing a hand over his hair to right it once more. "Boring, I mean. Your appearance just made it interesting."

"Well, duh! I'm just that awesome, dattebane!" the girl stuck her tongue out, giggling.

Mako grinned down softly at her, giving a wry chuckle. "Yeah. Yeah, you are, Kushina-hime."

After her giggles died down, the girl's smile morphed into a frown. "Wait…So you mean that training is **still** super-boring when you're a ninja?"

"I already told you that before, Kushina-hime…" Mako remarked, sweat-dropping.

"Aw, man!"

. 2-XXVI .

"So…'Mako-nii', huh?" Tatsu asked, the next day, while the team was on a D-Rank to crate up a freshly caught hull of tuna.

Mako didn't even have to ask who Tatsu was referring to. Only one person calls him 'Mako-nii', after all.

"That's what she calls me," Mako states, hammering in the final nail for his current crate. "Asada-san, that's another one done!"

The Genso nodded from her position by the other supplies, cornflower blue hair bobbing, as she ticked the number off a clipboard. "Two more to go."

As the young kunoichi stepped forwards with their sensei to handle the crate, Mako turned his attention to another empty one, ready to load more fish into it.

"How do you even know Uzushio's princess, anyways?" Tatsu pestered, while Mako tried to keep his attention to the smelly and monotonous task at hand. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"How I know Kushina-hime has nothing to do with the mission, Tatsu-san," Mako pointed out, trying to keep annoyance out of his tone.

"Well, **I** want to know why she botched up our training yesterday. I have **that** right, don't I, prodigy?" the older boy sneered, crouching down next to Mako and helping him throw tuna into the crate.

Mako let out a long breath through his nose, trying to not let the older boy rile him up. "I serve Kushina-hime and the royal Uzumaki family. Since we are close in age, she sees me as a brother."

They were silent, as they finished up the crate, moving onto the last one. This time, Asada drifted over to help them, as well, giving up the pretense of not eavesdropping blatantly.

"Still doesn't explain why the princess wanted to meet us," the brawler noted, trading a glance with the blue-haired Genso.

"She just… did. She wants to be a shinobi, and we're a newly-minted shinobi team," Mako tried to explain patiently and calmly.

(Kushina wanted to be a kunoichi, to see the world—to be something that will eventually get her **killed** , just a footnote in history, and—)

The slick fish broke into two fleshy chunks in his hand, covering it in a coating of slime.

Embarrassed, Mako pretended that he didn't just crush the tuna from his angry, too-tight grip. He ducked his head, wiping his fish-gut-covered hand idly on the apron wrapped around his front, the other hand already reaching down for another fish.

He ignored the gazes of his teammates. He refused to meet them, in fear of them finding one of his weaknesses. Their gazes seared into his head, watching him closely.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that you are on our team?" Asada asks in her quiet, dry voice, seemingly unconvinced.

Swiftly, Mako hammered on the top of the crate, before he could be asked anything else. "Sensei, we're done!"

. 2-XXVII .

During training, Mako avoids his teammate's pesky questions with deflections and small talk.

When Matsuoka-sensei announces the end of a training day, Mako is already leaving the clearing with a polite goodbye.

. 2-XXVIII .

(It feels like they're wasting time.

At first, he put up with how slow things were moving, how tiring it was to work with Tatsu and Asada, because he knew that that's how all teams started. He knew Team Matsuoka was dysfunctional, and needed to build itself up.

But it's already been nine months. War is brewing. They can't be kept inside the 'safe' confines of Uzushio forever.)

. 2-XXIX .

On November 6th, Mako bakes a small cake, and brings it to training.

"What's with the cake?" Tatsu asks when he sees the thing Mako's carrying, wrinkling his nose, confused.

Mako ignores the boy, walking towards his teacher. "Happy birthday, sensei," he says, carefully handing the platter over to the dumbfounded man.

Mako's read the file on his teacher, in the Genin-clearance part of the archives. It included his birthday, and the fact that he has no close living family members.

(Matsuoka-sensei is an Uzumaki—even with the bright-red hair—but not all Uzumaki have close family relations to one another. There's a chance that he has no one to celebrate his birthday with.

And that's sort of sad, isn't it…?)

"I…Uh…" the Jonin splutters, still shocked, before finally saying a heartfelt, "Thank you, Mako-kun."

"You mean, you didn't know it was our sensei's birthday?" Asada asks Tatsu dryly, rolling her eyes. She takes out a small, wrapped package from her pouch, and hands it to the man as well. "Well wishes to you, sensei."

"I mean…I just…" Tatsu murmurs, red-faced. "He never told us, okay?!"

"It's fine, Tatsu-kun," the man says quickly, shaking his head, red strands flying every which-way. "I didn't expect any of you to know, actually."

Mako shrugs, glancing at the kunoichi. "I used the archives. You?"

Asada nodded. Mako knew Asada was intelligent enough to check the archives; she merely confirms the thought.

Tatsu scratched the back of his neck. "Well, sorry for, er, not having a gift…But happy birthday, sensei."

"Thank you, Tatsu-kun," the man grinned softly, carefully setting down his gifts in order to ruffle all of their hair. "You're all so adorably considerate. I'm a lucky sensei."

. 2-XXX .

(Mako baked Matsuoka-sensei a cake for his sensei partly because of pity.

However, the other part was something more…selfish.

After all, if he makes a good impression on the man, then he'll be more open to teaching Mako valuable things…)

. 2-XXXI .

"Dude, where did you even get Matsuoka-sensei a cake from, anyways?"

Mako held back a sigh. Of **course** Tatsu wasn't paying attention to the current task of counting through the blacksmith's stocks, and was distracting him.

"I baked it," was the redhead's clipped reply.

A few silent moments passed.

"What the fuck?"

Both his teammates were staring at him, surprised and curious.

"You can bake?" Asada wondered aloud.

"Since **when**?" Tatsu asked, baffled.

Mako simply shrugged, giving a controlled, bland smile. Instead of answering, he turned his attention to the kunoichi, asking her about the number of shuriken she'd counted for their mission, effectively ending the current conversation.

. 2-XXXII .

Genin teams are getting trained harder in combat situations. Sensei of fresh Genin squads are getting twitchy. They're drilling their teams to the ground.

They do this, because they know what's coming. C-Ranks.

And war-time C-Ranks are not very pretty.

Genin teams are trained up, before they're put on these missions. Because there's now a much higher threat of enemy action.

(And, in turn, a higher fatality rate.)

. 2-XXXIII .

One day, Mako asks Matsuoka-sensei how to perfect the Shunshin, just so he can get out of Tatsu's non-stop hounding.

It works. The man introduces all of them on how to do the Shunshin technique, and mainly stays next to Tatsu, since he has less-than-perfect chakra control like Mako and Asada.

It's a perfect technique for them to learn, as well as an oddly rare common ground between the three Genin.

(They never held any common ground since the moment they were put on Team Matsuoka. A doomed team from the start.)

This is a better use of their training time than what they usually do.

(Mako's already fast, even when he's not augmenting his speed with chakra, but a perfected Shunshin can make him faster.

And being a slight bit faster, a slight bit better, may be the difference between life and death.)

. 2-XXXIV .

One of their training sessions, the day gets late. The sun is going down, bathing the training ground in an orange-pink glow.

The Genin are huffing, sweat-drenched and low on chakra, sitting down or barely standing on shaky legs.

They'd been learning new Elemental jutsu.

(Genin learning them before even a year on a team was considered impressive.

Mako couldn't help but think, somewhat bitterly, that war was simply speeding things up.

It didn't have anything to do with skill level. Not really.)

Both Asada and Mako were Water Natured, like their teacher, when they had turned the slips of chakra paper damp. However, Tatsu actually turned out to have a Fire Nature, much to everyone's mild surprise, when his paper lit and turned to ash.

Because Mako already knew the technique Matsuoka-sensei gave Asada, he asked if he could learn the basic Fire technique that Tatsu was trying. Which, naturally, led to Tatsu angrily butting heads with the younger boy, and turning the task of learning the jutsu into a contest of who could do it first.

Their kunoichi teammate, who was irked that their teacher was putting more attention to the boys, also joined the impromptu contest by trying to learn her water jutsu quickly and perfectly.

This ended with all three Genin becoming bullheaded, and practicing until they almost collapsed. Despite the fact that Elemental techniques took up the most chakra and time to learn, and many could not just perfect it in a day.

(Mako would know. He has three Water jutsu down, but they took a lot of practice to have mastered.)

"So, team, how about we catch some dinner?" Matsuoka-sensei asks, rather chipper, looking as fresh as a daisy.

"Yeah, I'm all for that," Tatsu says through a wheeze, still trying to mop sweat off his brow with the collar of his beige t-shirt. Asada nods along, silent, standing up and dusting off her blue kunoichi skirt.

The team turns their attention to Mako, who's frozen in place.

He quickly looks up at the sky, calculates the time, and gives a well-executed excuse.

"Ah, sorry, but I have to go back," the young boy says, with a perfect amount of politeness and regret. He scratches the space next to his nose, just over his beauty mark, in habit. "It's very late, and I still have household duties to attend to."

It's Mako's usual excuse, to get out of going to dinner with his team. His teammates don't know the exact details of his servitude to the royal Uzumaki family, so they only have his vague excuses and their own imaginations to guess at how much work the boy actually has.

(He actually doesn't have much work, anymore, outside of his usual lessons with Kushina and wrangling her. Kazuki Uzumaki cut down on Mako's household duties to make way for his training time.

But the others don't know that.)

"Oh…" Matsuoka-sensei says, looking disappointed, but covering it up with a smile. "It's fine, Mako-kun. We understand."

Mako gives his usual polite goodbyes, and turns to leave, almost missing the look of disappointment the other three shinobi share amongst each other while his back is turned. Almost.

. 2-XXXV .

Letting down his team so much makes Mako guilty, but he has to push the guilt away.

(He only feels minimal amounts of guilt, but still. The feeling is there, slowly creeping up on him, sinking its claws into him.)

He's getting attached.

(He's getting attached to a team that is slotted into archetypes and old roles that he already knows of, that he's long-tired of seeing.

He's getting attached to doomed people, during a war, in a world that shouldn't exist.)

He **can't** get attached.

(If he does, it'll only hurt worse, when they're dead, instead of the dull throb of resigned grief that he always carries within him.)

. 2-XXXVI .

The thought of getting attached to his team—to getting attached to them as _real people_ —makes him want to run for the hills and never stop.

( _Mako was born a coward, bathed in the blood of another, and yet still wanting to run forwards_.)


End file.
